Columbus Jones
and the
Triple-A Dinger Derby
Columbus Clippers infielder Mitch Jones is a man on fire at the 2005 AAA Home Run Derby

Jonathan Roybal
Minor League News

While power shortages are not unheard of in California, none of the fans at Raley Field in Sacramento expected to see one during a long-ball-hitting contest that featured some of the best players in minor league baseball.

The opening salvos from the Triple-A Home Run derby were less than commanding until Columbus Clippers infielder Mitch Jones stepped into the batter's box and electrified the crowd of 14,414 with a stunning display of power that made him the man to beat at the 2005 Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby.

Jones belted ten homes in the first round, fourteen in the second round, and eleven in the third round.  It was just enough to withstand a late surge by Oklahoma RedHawks prospect Ian Kinsler, who kept the competition close to the final swing.

The first round started out slowly, with John-Ford Griffin of the Syracuse SkyChiefs failing to clear the fence with any of his eight attempts.

Following was Round Rock Express infielder Mike Coolbaugh, who didn't fare much better, dinging only one out of the park.

Along came Mr. Jones, who delivered what the crowd came to see. He crushed several shots, most of them landing on the roof of the stadium's outfield clubhouse deep beyond the center field fence.

His ten home runs were good enough to lead the contest after the end of the first round. His mark doubled the output of the other five competitors combined.

Jones was joined in the second round by Ernie Young of the Buffalo Bisons who hit six, hometown hero Matt Watson of the Sacramento River Cats who hit two, and Kinsler, who bested Coolbaugh with one long-ball during an extra-round tie-breaker.

Leading off the second round, Mitch was even more impressive and earned a standing ovation after 14 balls jumped off his bat into the darkness beyond the fence.

The crowd again roared with excitement when Watson came up next, but were disappointed when he was blanked. Kinsler, meanwhile, managed to edge Young by a count of 4 to 3.

Heading into the final round, Jones looked like a heavy favorite. Determined, he came out swinging, slugging several tape-measure bombs to finish with 11 for the round.

That put heavy pressure on Kinsler, who missed his first four swings. Many fans began to shuffle for the exits just when the drama began.

Ian's fifth swing looked hard enough, but, as the ball sailed over the wall, one of the high school kids shagging balls in center did a Torii Hunter impression and scaled the fence to rob Kinsler of the home run.

The officials granted Kinsler the dinger, which seemed to inspire him, as he proceeded to ring up several long-distance shots to close the gap in the contest.

Down to his last out, Kinsler hit three in a row to bring him to within one, but with the remaining crowd all on their feet, Kinsler took one on his heels and popped-up to end the excitement.

"It was a great contest," Jones said after the competition. "Ian made it real exciting at the end."

With the victory, Jones will receive $250 in cash, a polished aluminum engraved bat, and round trip tickets for two to Hawaii. The kudos from the Yankee organization for taking the Triple-A Home-Run Derby: That may well be priceless.

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